Due to certain recent posts, I've been thinking about what I would do and how it might go.

My existing BO plans are for very short-term local incidents: toxic spills and fires are the two main things that come to mind. I put the basics into the truck which includes some camping gear, and the animals, and I'm gone. If a wildfire is threatening but not imminent, I'll cram in some more.

Long-term BO is my dead last option. It means that I have NO OTHER OPTIONS. Where I am now would be unliveable for the foreseeable future.

But if I did, here's how I would see it happening:

Since it would be a widespread situation, I would contact as many friends as I could (conditions allowing) and ask if they wanted to join a convoy/caravan for mutual supply and support. Most of them are into preparedness. I would hope someone had a viable privately-owned destination that could accept all of us, like a farm or ranch, within our gasoline allowance (the real limiting factor).

Tighten the camper shell onto the truck. Attach the car dolly to the hitch. Run the little old Cavalier onto the car dolly if I had the forethought to fill the tank.

Toss the collapsed dog crates into the truck, add the plastic crates with the cats, and the one with the four hens. The dogs would go in the cab last.

The tent and other camping gear, stoves, fuels, bedding, tarps.

My books and info on preparedness how-to, plant ID, etc. All the food and water I could fit. All the animal food I had.

"Important documents" that would probably have the value of toilet paper. And, speaking of which, it's probably too late to stock up on that. Okay, phone books.

Then we all meet, bawling our heads off, and start rolling down the road to some kind of destination.

We get to our destination (with luck), scared, hungry, tired and out of sorts because we were too scared to stop anywhere. I hope it has some kind of hand-dug well or spring. But that would probably be too much to hope for. But without some water source, we're dead.

We set up the tents, probably close together. Draw straws for guard duty. Tether the dogs so they don't run off chasing porcupines or raccoons.

The tenseness would get to everyone. If there were any children, they would probably be either playing loudly enough to get on everyone's nerves, disappearing and driving their mothers crazy; the younger ones would be whining and crying. The teenagers would be pouting when their battery-powered games went dead, and be wanting to use the drinking water for washing their hair every day.

Most of the people would probably be eating more than necessary because they're used to it. And that would make the ones who are trying to conserve food angry and uneasy.

If there were any 'neighbors', they would probably start looking like the cast from 'Deliverance'. Probably even more people would have come into the area, and any natural foods would grow scarce. Instead of just cutting the tops of perennials, they would probably have just been pulled up and the inedible parts tossed aside.

Everyone would probably donate their books to the 'library', and try to find ways to contribute to the group. Tools would probably be duplicated or had been forgotten. Makeshift would be the game of the day. After a while, we would have read all the novels, but due to the present circumstances and suspect future, they would seem far, far away.

We would be running out of everything. Everyone would be tired, guards might be getting more nervous. There could be altercations between any of the different groups in the area for any number of reasons.

People with health problems could die. Dealing with death directly is going to be really difficult for people from a greatly sanitized America.

Illness could come in many forms, imported or existing and passed around. Dysentery would be a real problem. No IV fluids, no medications strong enough to do the job.

Complaining would increase. People who were friends would be breaking off into smaller groups. Some might leave. Arguments would break out if a group that was leaving wanted their original belongings back, that had been donated for general use.

If winter had been coming, there's usually no chance for a garden in many areas of the U.S., even if anyone remembered to bring seed. And if you did manage to grow some food, could you guard it well enough from your hungry or starving neighbors?

Has the water supply been compromised? Has carelessness and ignorance caused it to become contaminated? What do you do now?

All the propane, charcoal briquettes and alcohol has long since been used up. We have to range farther and farther to find firewood, and the farther we go, the more dangerous it becomes, as we would probably be venturing into strangers' territory.

Are any radios still working? Is there news of any kind? Could things have somehow improved and we don't know it? Should we try to go somewhere else?

But where to go? Is there any gasoline left? Can't take much on foot, esp if you have smaller children. What about home? Is it possible to go back? Again, how to get there? Is there fuel somewhere nearby that may have been overlooked? What if you could only make it halfway to somewhere else, what do you do then?

All I would really foresee is eventual death, from one cause or another.

We could have done that at home.

Sue

You need some inspiration. How about the Nenets tribal herders of Siberia in Russia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6wuh5iWSQE

Neanderthals knew more about basic survival than most of us ever will.

There are small tribal groups in the world that could be the last peoples on earth. They might not know, nor even care.

Sue

While I think bug out plans are good for short term events, hazmat spills, floods, fires, etc., in the long term, you are right. I'm much more comfortable bugging in. I'm always amused by examples of kits that enable people to absolutely drop what they are doing and get outta Dodge no matter what or when.

NEWSFLASH -- We're not all single! -- NEWSFLASH

The only place I'm bugging to is my kids' school to pick them up! Then we're going home, or driving a few (dozen, hundred?) miles to a motel if absolutely necessary. If it's a truly large catastrophe, I'm only going as far as I have gas in my tank, the stations on the way won't have any power.

Some of us have *responsibilities* to care for others. What about people with elderly parents in a nursing home? Just say the hell with them?

Sometimes the selfish I'll-survive-at-all-costs attitudes just disgust me, striking me as immature and unrealistic. There's a reason why the loner mountain men type back in the early 1800's usually didn't make it past their mid-30's.

Probably the best solution is to learn from the LDS church, keep your basement nicely stocked, and come Spring, if the situation doesn't improve, head for farming county and hope you have nice relatives...

Cody Lundin's new book deals with this in a lot of detail, and is a very good read.

I see you are looking at a glass half empty. The single biggest thing that was missing from your comments was (IMHO): LEADERSHIP. Without strong, positive leadership, the group will eventually splinter into different factions with infighting, in various degrees of seriousness.

I also believe that bugging out is a very last resort and would be undertaken when the home or neighborhood 20 is no longer a tenable position. "Untenable position" to me means that there is no water source beyond an inadequate rainfall, no food with no space to grow food and/or sources to obtain food through/from, and/or a security threat in which one will be facing overwhelming force unless a retreat can be made to a more defensible and sustainable location. I have planned on these events in case they occurred, AND NONE of my plans are fool proof!!!

The first casualty of all wars is the pre-wartime planning!!!

Meanwhile I pray, hope for the best, and plan for the worst as best as I can. My preparations give me confidence that we can handle most problems here at home and that gives me good sleeping periods when I am at home in my own bed. What more of life can I ask of it?

I have recently watched the full TV documentary of the BBC 2 program called Tribe. Many of the members of the Nemet tribe were actually ex soviet educated professionals such teachers, accountants, soldiers and doctors. They had actually made the decision to live their lives in this way rather as nomadic reindeer herders because of the lifestyle it gave them. They had the choice to live this way or conventionally in a town or city.

Additional notes:

1) I have BO plans for short term emergencies coming from several directions of the compass. These emergencies are in the realm of a hurricane landfall expected, a hazmat emergency in my immediate area, etc. These plans allow for many temporary Bug Out destinations going in several directions of the compass.

2) My primary plan for long term emergencies is to stay at home.
a) I would probably be gone from home (at work) if/when any emergency would occur (I am home 4 months out of each year).
b) My personal BoB is designed to get me home (walking/hiking if necessary).
c) Family medical concerns dictate that we maintain the home base for absolutely as long as possible.
d) If we had to bug out for good, there would not be a functioning vehicle which means that a pretty impressive library of knowledge would have to be left behind, along with many other valuable resources.

3) The primary plan to Bug Out, has land and some water but very little shelter.
a) I am thinking about renting a storage unit in the little village that we would bug out to and preposition supplies, including the library there.
b) If I was to rent 2 units, one could be set up for supplies and equipment and the other could be set up as emergency living quarters.
c) This place is somewhat defensible.
d) Family relatives occupy a good part of this village.
e) This village is 35 miles of walking from my home 20.

4) I have other permanent Bug Out locations available but the distances involved are prohibitive when trying to push a 250 lb wheelchair to them.
a) I do have some possible solutions to this problem and will be working on that problem after the first of the year.

"Everybody gotta die sometime, Red."

You can prepare all you want. You can come up with the best laid plans of mice and men. You can run 10 miles a day if you feel so inclined.

No one lives forever.

Make the best of the time you have, don't be foolish and squander the gift. Learn as much as you can and pass on the best parts to those that come after you.

You have but a little time to do what you can, then it is over. Very shortly thereafter, all memory of you will fade into nothing. Ultimately, you have no control over how it will end, only the parts leading up to that point, so if you aren't happy with the outcome, then you've only yourself to blame. You may not have many choices about lifestyle, or family, or opportunity, but you always have a choice about perspective. Even a poor wretch in a Gulag can have a positve attitude about life.

What does this have to do with the topic? Attitude is the biggest factor in our survival. I guess before I decide about whether I am going to bug out or stay put or whatever, nothing is as important to the outcome as is my expectation, and how I will face the adversities to follow.

Prepare all you want, if you don't have the right frame of mind, it will do you no good.

Consider this, what happens when you bug out, make it to whatever Shan-gri-la you are looking for, then contract pancreatic cancer and die miserably six months later. Was the six extra months of miserable life worth the effort?

The point is, have real expecations. For all our efforts, we only delay the inevitable. The most important thing, then, seems to be how best we can enjoy the time we've left.

Very well spoken.

IMHO, you've started for good, but summarized for bad
Enjoy what? Feeding my own ego or greed? That's the question.